"Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee, said he has learned that NASA and the Small Business Administration have joined the Department of Defense in lobbying for a weak cleanup standard. In a letter to EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler, Carper said that 'DOD and NASA continue to refuse to agree to take any measures to remediate contamination caused by their activities unless the measured levels of PFOA and PFOS [at contaminated bases] exceed 400 ppt.'"
"PFAS contamination on military installations is widespread because for nearly 50 years, the Pentagon has used firefighting foam that contains these chemicals. Studies link PFAS exposure to kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease and weakened childhood immunity, among an array of serious health problems."
~ A. Formuzis
https://www.ewg.org/release/nyt-avoid-cleanup-pentagon-demands-pfas-standards-30x-higher-safe-level-federal-study
"Several state and local governments — including the Security Water District in Colorado, the city of Newburgh, N.Y., and the state of New Mexico — have already filed lawsuits against the Defense Department.
In Oscoda, Mich., a community near the former Wurtsmith Air Force Base, use of the chemicals has polluted drinking water, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and toxic foam now froths on community beaches. The town and the state are battling with the military over how much cleanup should be done.
Aaron Weed, an Air Force veteran who is now Oscoda’s town supervisor, called the response 'disgraceful.'
'It’s just been constant pushback,” he said. “‘It’s not a big deal, it’s going to cost too much, the technology isn’t there,’ Every cause they can think of.'"
~ E. Lipton & J. Turkewitz
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/14/us/politics/chemical-standards-water-epa-pentagon.html
